John Winter is a Partner in Patterson Belknap’s Litigation department. He has focused his practice on the defense of pharmaceutical and medical device cases. He is a nationally-recognized litigator with more than 30 years’ experience serving as lead counsel for several mass tort settlements as well as many arbitrations and trials. A member of Patterson Belknap since 1990, Mr. Winter has negotiated the resolution of global, firm inventory, and individual settlements of many thousands of cases and claims and has tried or argued the appeal of more than 50 product liability cases in state and federal courts throughout the United States. Mr. Winter has also acted as national counsel for pharmaceutical, consumer product, and medical device manufacturers in consolidated proceedings in state and federal courts. He has substantial experience litigating commercial matters for Patterson Belknap clients including tax-exempt organizations, governmental entities, privately held companies as well as pharmaceutical, cosmetic and medical device companies. In addition, Mr. Winter has published articles on regulatory and evidentiary issues concerning pharmaceutical and medical devices.
In addition to his products liability work, Mr. Winter has served as lead counsel for arbitrations and trials in various other areas including commercial law, civil rights, employment, ERISA, insurance, and real estate. Mr. Winter has been praised by Chambers USA for being “an excellent all-around lawyer, who is very good at analyzing issues” and for “his knowledge of and for the inner workings of court and his overall knowledge of rules and statutes.”
Prior to joining Patterson Belknap, Mr. Winter served as Law Clerk to the Hon. John M. Cannella, U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York.
Mr. Winter earned his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law, where he served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Fordham Urban Law Journal. He earned his B.A., cum laude, and an M.A. in Government Affairs from the University of Pennsylvania.
Updated Aug 2023
